Maternity Team Takes the Lead in Reducing Neonatal Mortality Maternity Team Takes the Lead in Reducing Neonatal Mortality
Linda* arrived at Kibagabaga Hospital exhausted and desperate. Referred by a smaller health center, she had already been in labor for more than 24 hours. A midwife admitted Linda and put her on an IV. There, she waited for several hours until an obstetrician examined her. Realizing that the baby had an accelerated heartbeat, which is a sign of distress, the doctor ordered a Cesarean section (C-section). When the baby emerged, he was not responsive. Hospital staff worked to help him breathe and eventually, he let out a wail.
Asphyxia is an all-too-common challenge among newborns, and reducing it was recognized as a key priority as the Kibagabaga maternity team began MSH’s Leadership Development Program (LDP+), a participatory leadership development process that guides teams to face challenges and achieve results through action-based learning. Under the USAID-funded Rwanda Health Systems Strengthening (RHSS) Project, MSH collaborated with the Ministry of Health to launch the LDP+ course in Kibagabaga and Masaka hospitals to strengthen the leadership, management, and technical skills of health workers in their roles as health managers and providers.
Kibagabaga Hospital’s maternity team created a challenge model to better understand the issue and to agree on a shared vision: That no babies born at the hospital would suffer asphyxia. The team set a target to reduce the rate of asphyxia from 5.4% to 3% between May and October 2018. Next, they developed a set of action steps to achieve their desired results, including reviewing the hospital’s protocols and discussing concrete actions for preventing asphyxia, reinforcing clear verbal communication between medical doctors and midwives during labor for timely decision making and between midwives and the surgical team to prepare for C-sections, closely monitoring a mother’s and baby’s vital signs during labor, auditing asphyxia cases, and acknowledging successful teams during handover session and in staff meetings.
With the support of hospital leadership and each team member’s commitment, the team reduced the neonatal asphyxia rate from 5.4% to 3.6%. Team members continue to carry out actions to meet the target asphyxia rate of 3% among newborns while sensitizing health providers and pregnant women on family planning and the standard four antenatal care (ANC) visits, timely reporting to the health facilities during onset of labor, and integrating asphyxia management into orientation training for new staff.
“Now the hospital staff take the lead and responsibility of managing and addressing challenges that come up in the respective services they deliver and motivate others where necessary.”— Dr. Avite Mutaganzwa, Director General of Kibagabaga Hospital
Through the LDP+ training experience, the maternity team has learned that while clinical knowledge and skills are important to health worker performance, commitment to a shared goal and effective teamwork by clinical staff and hospital managers is paramount to reducing neonatal deaths and improving quality of care for mothers and babies.
*The person’s name in this story has been changed to protect privacy.


Investigation of Changes in Hydrological Processes using a Regional Climate Model Date2013-08-23 Author
Bhuiyan, AKM Hassanuzzaman
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
This thesis evaluates regional hydrology using output from the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM 4.1) and examines changes in the hydrological processes over the Churchill River Basin (CRB) by employing the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) hydrology model. The CRCM evaluation has been performed by combining the atmospheric and the terrestrial water budget components of the hydrological cycle. The North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data are used where direct observations are not available. The outcome of the evaluation reveals the potential of the CRCM for use in long-term hydrological studies. The CRCM atmospheric moisture fluxes and storage tendencies show reasonable agreement with the NARR. The long-term moisture flux over the CRB was found to be generally divergent during summer. A systematic bias is observed in the CRCM precipitation and temperature. A quantile-based mapping of the cumulative distribution function is applied for precipitation adjustments. The temperature correction only involves shifting and scaling to adjust mean and variance. The results indicate that the techniques employed for correction are useful for hydrological studies. Bias-correction is also applied to the CRCM future climate. The CRCM bias-corrected data is then used for hydrological modeling of the CRB. The VIC-simulated streamflow exhibits acceptable agreement with observations. The VIC model's internal variables such as snow and soil moisture indicate that the model is capable of simulating internal process variables adequately. The VIC-simulated snow and soil moisture shows the potential of use as an alternative dataset for hydrological studies. Streamflow along with precipitation and temperature are analyzed for trends. No statistically significant trend is observed in the daily precipitation series. Results suggest that an increase in temperature may reduce accumulation of snow during fall and winter. The flow regime may be in transition from a snowmelt dominated regime to a rainfall dominated regime. Results from future climate simulations of the A2 emission scenario indicate a projected increase of streamflow, while the snow depth and duration exhibit a decrease. Soil moisture response to future climate warming shows an overall increase with a greater likelihood of occurrences of higher soil moisture.


Sports, school entrance or camp physicals are really more than a physical exam. Ideally they are a comprehensive evaluation of your child which includes the following:
Many places now offer “sports physicals,” including health clinics at schools and pharmacies. It is important to understand that not all of these offer a comprehensive evaluation of your child performed by a physician with expertise in children and adolescents. When performed by a pediatrician or pediatric nurse practitioner the risk of significant problems being missed as well as the chance that an insignificant finding may delay clearance for athletics are both minimized.
If you have any questions at all, feel free to contact our office at 703-865-KIDS (5437)


Article Title Abstract
Researchers request a variety of levels of engagement from their participants in a research study. This can range from merely serving as a data generation opportunity to being actively involved in each stage of the project. The latter is a co-researcher. In this paper, I explore how nine participants in a qualitative case study became co-researchers by the study’s conclusion. The increase in their active participation required methodological alterations to the project while I conducted the study. This paper presents these alterations by examining: (1) my position as a researcher; (2) my relationship with the participants; (3) the trajectory of the project; (4) data analysis; and (5) the presentation of the findings. I conclude with a discussion of such alterations for qualitative research and offer suggestions for novice researchers when experiencing situations during research that may warrant unanticipated methodological changes.
Keywords
Co-Researcher, Interfaith Dialogue, Methodological Change, Qualitative Research, Responsive Research
Acknowledgements
My thanks to the participants/co-researchers of the Trialogue who became so deeply involved in this project. While their identities are hidden to maintain confidentiality, they were deeply influential in the robust outcome of this project.
Publication Date
10-24-2020
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License. DOI
10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4394
Recommended APA Citation
Pope, E. M. (2020). From Participants to Co-Researchers: Methodological Alterations to a Qualitative Case Study.
The Qualitative Report, 25(10), 3749-3761. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2020.4394


Latin America makes up for a 9.1% of the global 2022 crypto transaction value, while remittances and high inflation are the highest drivers of adoption
October report from Chainalysis identified three main factors driving crypto adoption in Latin America. Those are remittance payments, fiat fears, and profit-chasing.
LatAm has become the seventh-largest crypto market in the world since the value of cryptocurrencies received by individuals skyrocketed 40% between July 2021 and June 2022. The total amount reached $562 billion.
Chainalysis noted that crypto-based service adoption was “uneven, but swift.” Partly, the surge is attributed to the regional remittance market that reached $150 billion in 2022. A single Mexican exchange processed over $1 billion in remittances between Mexico and the US from January till June 2022. It marked an increase of 400% year-on-year and accounted for 4% of the country’s remittance market.
At the same time, decades-high inflation rates have contributed to the adoption of crypto, in particular, USD-backed stablecoins. Due to the soaring inflation, Venezuelan bolívar depreciate by over 100,000% since December 2014. As national currencies plummet, consumers look for stability provided by the fiat-pegged crypto. Thus, citizens from Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil were most likely to use stablecoins for small retail transactions (under $1,000).
While more troubled LatAm economies sought a safety net from the deteriorating financial crisis, citizens of the larger and more developed Latin American countries increasingly adopted cryptocurrencies as a means of profit.
For instance, Chileans were the most involved in DeFi, with over 45% of all crypto transaction volume taking place on DeFi platforms. Brazil was the number one country in the region for crypto value received, whereas over 30% of those transactions involved DeFi.


Research on migration (both internal and external, voluntary and forced) has been an emergent domain in HCI and related disciplines over the past decade. However, as the number of migrants has been increasing over the last two decades, coupled with various growing global affairs, new challenges encountered by diverse types of migrants (e.g. international students, migrant workers) keep arising, and research on mobility gets entangled with many broader social and political issues. Hence, migration can no longer be considered as a g€special case' for some immigrant and refugee communities, but an everyday reality to hundreds of millions of people worldwide and across diverse socio-economic groups. Therefore, the objectives of this workshop are to (a) build a community with HCI researchers and practitioners involved in different domains, within and beyond migration, to share ideas and exchange expertise, (b) broaden the scope of HCI migration research and identify gaps within this field, and (c) provide a safe space for critical reflection on methodological approaches, research infrastructure, and space boundaries in relation with migration to achieve a better real-world impact.


Purpose: To examine the suitability of the revised Spinal Cord Independence Measure, the Catz-ltzkovich SCIM, for evaluation of patients with spinal cord lesions, as compared to the original SCIM and to the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Method: The revised SCIM was applied by paired independent teams of occupational therapists, physiotherapists and nurses and the FIM by a single nurse. The examiners assigned scores to the functional capabilities of 28 patients with spinal cord lesions. The scores by the revised SCIM were analysed for reproducibility as between the two teams of examiners (interrater reliability) and for their correlation with the FIM scores. Results: The frequency of identical scoring by two independent examiners (total agreement) was 80% or higher for 13/18 individual functions listed in the revised SCIM. In the self-care category it was 80-99%, as compared to 75-87% before revision. In neither bowel management nor bed mobility was there an increase over the original SCIM in the frequency of identical scores, despite rephrasing and restructuring of the scoring criteria. A high correlation was noted between the paired scores for all functions listed as well as for those comprising each of the four functional categories (r = 0.90-0.96, p <0.001). The total revised-SCIM scores were significantly correlated with those derived by the FIM (r = 0.835, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings indicate that the newly revised SCIM (Catz-Itzkovich) is a valid and highly reproducible measure of daily function in patients with spinal cord lesions, and is superior to the original SCIM. We recommend that it supersede the original SCIM.


In this brief, a non-identical gain based control design scheme is proposed to stabilise balanced collective formation in multi-vehicle systems, modelled with non-holonomic unicycle dynamics. Balanced collective formation refers to a situation in which the vehicles' motion causes their positional centroid to become stationary. This study mainly focuses on achieving stable balanced collective formation about the prescribed location of the collective centroid along with desired orientations of the vehicles. It is assumed that the vehicles are moving in a force field which is controlled externally. The proposed control algorithm consists of two controls - one of the controls, pertaining to the external force field, is directly applied to the system, and assumes the same value for all the vehicles. While the other control, which operates with heterogeneous gains, provides the steering force to the vehicles and is derived using Lyapunov analysis. Theoretical findings are validated through numerical simulations. © The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2018.


CAUTIONS: Consult your healthcare practitioner prior to use.
Individuals taking medications, especially medications that are metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes or that affect blood glucose, should discuss potential interactions with their healthcare practitioner.
Do not use if you are pregnant, nursing, or trying to conceive.
Do not use if tamper seal is damaged.
STORAGE: Keep closed in a cool, dry place out of reach of children.
DOES NOT CONTAIN: Wheat, gluten, corn, yeast, soy, animal or dairy products, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, ingredients derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs), artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, or artificial preservatives.


I attend numerous public hearings and speaking engagements regarding marijuana legalization in Washington State. One thing that I often get asked is “Didn’t President Obama legalize medical marijuana last year?”
The answer is no, marijuana has not been legalized at the federal level. The Federal Spending Bill, which was passed in December of last year, includes protections for medical marijuana and industrial hemp operations in states where those operations are legal. The Spending Bill includes a provision that precludes the Department of Justice from using funds to go after state sanctioned medical marijuana businesses.
These provisions in the Spending Bill represent a step in the right direction in regard to enforcement of federal marijuana laws but the actual federal drug laws have not been amended. Marijuana remains a Schedule I drug per the Federal Uniform Substances Control Act. This means that even in states that have legalized marijuana businesses those businesses continue to face significant hurdles due to federal illegality such as the inability to open bank accounts, obtain commercial loans, denial of federal tax deductions and credits, and denial of bankruptcy protection.
For more information on the regulation of recreational marijuana businesses in Washington State, please contact Heather Wolf.


Explore Topics Diversity and Inclusion: The Ultimate DE&I Event Planning Checklist
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is a top need in the events industry, with organizers and planners increasingly looking for ways to connect with and represent more people from all walks of life. Event diversity is critical to ensure participants feel welcome and have engaging and impactful experiences. That’s where this DE&I event checklist comes in!
It’s time for organizers to prioritize DE&I, form a solid integration strategy, and implement it across all aspects of the event. It takes a bit of work, baking DE&I into your event strategy ultimately leads to a stronger event community, increased participation and engagement, and better learning and speaking experiences.
What To Include on Your DE&I Event Checklist
Your DE&I checklist will vary depending on your event’s goals and attendee demographics, but do your best to integrate as many of these checklist suggestions into your larger event planning checklist, so DE&I doesn’t become an afterthought or merely performative.
1. Checklist for Building DE&I-driven Infrastructure
To improve DE&I in your events, you must prioritize it. In other words, your team needs to understand what an inclusive strategy entails and what they need to take it seriously. Here’s how to make that happen:
☐ Audit your current DE&I plan (if you have one) with your event team.
☐ Audit your company’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility policies to ensure your event strategy aligns with existing policies.
☐ Clearly define and explain key terms related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
☐ Outline how you talk about DE&I as a team and any steps your team is currently taking.
☐ Inventory your event websites and registration forms for DE&I-driven fields and options.
☐ Create a diverse and inclusive task force to lead awareness and the creation of inclusive policies, programs, and event content and themes.
☐ Set aside a budget for offering need-based scholarships to ensure the inclusion of individuals from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
☐ Create a diversity and inclusion statement and/or principles of an inclusive community manifesto.
2. Checklist for Analyzing Data
Once your team is up to speed on DE&I, building and refining your event strategy is next. At this point, it’s necessary to analyze recent events and outline areas of success and those that need improvement. Here are a few items to add to your checklist:
☐ Look at year-over-year data to identify patterns and trends in attendees, vendors, exhibitors, and speakers (both positive and negative)
☐ Examine feedback from events over the past six months (or year) to see if you already have DE&I-related feedback.
☐ Read and analyze social media comments and event reviews.
☐ In post-event surveys, ask participants for feedback on diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
☐ Conduct user testing on your event websites to gain data on accessibility and usability.
☐ Hire a data analyst — or work with someone internally — to evaluate DE&I-related analytics and feedback.
☐ Create a multi-phase plan for implementing data-related feedback and strategies across your event strategy.
3. Checklist for Creating an Inclusive Registration Experience
For attendees, the experience starts when they see a social post or email and head to your event website. You must build diversity and inclusion into your event website to ensure that participants feel seen from the start. Here are a few checklist items to add to your event strategy:
☐ Ensure your event website features inclusive imagery.
☐ Ensure your event website is ADA compliant and follows WCAG accessibility guidelines.
☐ Add options for name pronunciation and pronouns to your registration form.
☐ Include learning preferences on your registration form.
☐ Offer space for attendees to include any ability-related needs when registering (e.g., wheelchair accessibility, auditory or sensory impairments).
☐ Ask questions about preferred communication style (e.g., email, text, automated phone call).
☐ Include a community agreement to your form, such as: “I understand that this event space has a zero-tolerance policy for racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism, classism, and body shaming.”
4. Checklist for Building a Diverse Speaker Lineup
Speakers engage, educate, and entertain audiences, but attendees have to feel like they see themselves represented on stage. Unfortunately, there is often a disconnect between speakers and audience members. Including checklist items is essential to ensure your speaker lineup is as diverse as your attendees.
☐ Ensure your speaker lineup includes individuals from diverse genders, races, religions, abilities, cultural backgrounds, and more.
☐ Consider your audience’s demographics and consider how they will respond to each speaker and topic.
☐ Choose diverse speakers who can challenge your attendees’ attitudes, ideas, and beliefs.
☐ Choose speakers from a variety of socioeconomic backgrounds.
☐ Choose a mix of established, well-known speakers and those building a name for themselves.
☐ Consider hiring a diversity consultant to help build a more comprehensive speaker diversity program.
5. Checklist for Factoring Neurodiversity into Your Events
It’s essential to consider neurodiversity when planning events. Remember that audiences have vastly different learning preferences, abilities, personalities, and health needs.
For example, you may have several audience members with dyslexia who have trouble reading slides. There could also be attendees with auditory processing disorder who have difficulty understanding speech. In any case, two attendees may view the same presentation but perceive and process the information differently.
☐ Include the option to choose learning preferences on your event registration form.
☐ Hire sign language interpreters and offer materials and presentations in alternative formats, such as braille or large print.
☐ Create reserved seating in each session and keynote for those with auditory disabilities and those with assistive devices (e.g., wheelchairs).
☐ Ensure post-event videos have captions, transcripts, and language translation options.
☐ Feature a variety of session types throughout your event, such as roundtables, small-group activities, and fireside chats.
☐ Ensure your event website complies with ADA standards and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
6. Checklist for Venues, Vendors, and Dates
During the event-planning process, it’s vital to choose the right venue, vendor, dates, and more to accommodate the largest number of participants. According to global research from Radisson Meetings, 80% of event organizers feel that a policy of inclusivity is an important consideration when selecting a venue.
Here are some items to add to your event strategy checklist:
☐ Ensure events avoid cultural and religious holidays and observances.
☐ Consider time zones and accommodate varied attendee locations for virtual and hybrid events.
☐ Choose venues in cities and states with social and political policies that accept all attendees.
☐ Offer diverse and inclusive food choices, such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, and halal.
☐ Feature mocktails or other non-alcoholic beverages for attendees who don’t drink.
☐ Ensure the selected venue offers gender-neutral and ADA-compliant restrooms, prayer rooms, quiet rooms, elevators, and wheelchair ramps.
☐ Ensure the venue has clear signage for smoking and non-smoking areas and resources for enforcing those policies.
☐ Choose diverse and inclusive event partners and vendors, including those whose corporate social responsibility policies align with your business and event goals.
☐ Use local vendors from underrepresented communities.
7. Checklist for Training Hosts and Moderators for DE&I
Hosts and moderators also have an essential role in event DE&I planning. Here are some examples of items to add to your checklist:
☐ Ensure all panelists, moderators, and emcees have panelist pronouns and name pronunciations in hand.
☐ Choose Q&A submissions that feature a variety of perspectives and voices.
☐ Create a list of topics that might make presenters or audience members uncomfortable and train moderators/emcees on how to field sensitive subjects.
☐ Ensure someone is monitoring chats for offensive comments and hate speech.
Take Your First Steps Toward Improving Event DE&I
Whether you’re starting on your DE&I event checklist from scratch or have made headway in recent years, there is always room for improvement! Remember: DE&I is a journey — not a destination.
Prioritizing diversity and inclusion can go a long way toward creating more welcoming, open, and comfortable events for all event attendees and participants. A secondary benefit of prioritizing a DE&I-driven event strategy is that it makes your brand stand out from the competition, increasing pipeline and driving revenue.
Want to learn even more strategies for bringing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to your event strategy? We thought you did. Check out our
Guide To Building a DE&I-Driven Event Strategy.


Describe the presentation you would expect to see in a three-month-old baby boy with pyloric stenosis.
What is the etiology of pyloric stenosis? How does the pathophysiological process of pyloric stenosis lead to the signs and symptoms? What teaching would the FNP provide to the parents who are managing this infant at home? Solution:
Pyloric stenosis is defined as a condition affects the gastrointestinal tract in babies and it is considered serious as it demands immediate treatment (Rogers, 2016). The expected presented of pyloric stenosis in a three-month-old baby include vomiting which begins as often spitting followed by projectile vomiting; stool changes including constipation and excretion of fewer and smaller stools; weight loss and failure to gain weight; dehydration characterized by sunken fontanel, sunken eyes, and wrinkled skin; and waves of peristalsis which are described as increased contractions of the stomach producing notable ripples (Rogers, 2016)….
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Improvements in adversaries’ conventional and nuclear capabilities is shifting the balance of power and eroding strategic stability. The CNAS Defense Program aims to explore options to strengthen deterrence and prevent escalation through the following projects:
Nuclear Deterrence and Escalation Management
Great power competition among nuclear-armed powers has called into question the assumption that nuclear weapons will not be used in combat. This line of effort considers what is needed to enhance deterrence against multiple nuclear armed adversaries, manage escalation in the context of a conventional conflict, and how to mitigate risk.
Improving Posture
The U.S. military posture—its forces, bases, and activities—not only enables rapid responses to crises but is also critical for extended deterrence. Yet a smaller American force struggles to meet the global demands for presence, while adversaries’ growing long-range precision strike capabilities hold U.S. bases and forces at risk. This line of effort seeks develop concepts to better manage the limited pool of American troops and their footprint overseas, while enhancing their survivability and ability to project power to strengthen deterrence by denial.
Support CNAS
Highlights Risky Business: Future Strategy and Force Options for the Defense Department
To consider the next defense strategy and the tradeoffs associated with different options, we developed three possible strategies—high-end deterrence, day-to-day competition, ...
By Stacie Pettyjohn, Becca Wasser & Jennie Matuschak
The Unmet Promise of the Global Posture Review
The review missed an opportunity to realign U.S. military presence overseas with the strategic priorities laid out in the interim National Security Strategic Guidance....
By Becca Wasser
Spiking the Problem: Developing a Resilient Posture in the Indo-Pacific With Passive Defenses
This article originally appeared in War on the Rocks....
By Stacie Pettyjohn


Extended reality has enormous implications for higher education, but the challenge lies in ensuring these technologies are both evenly distributed and used appropriately for teaching and learning.
Extended reality–including augmented and virtual reality–is becoming more widespread, offering not only high-end expensive options, but increasingly affordable and accessible options via smartphones. And as extended reality becomes more accessible, its ability to impact teaching and learning becomes more real.
EDUCAUSE and HP collaborated on the Campus of the Future: 3D Technologies in Academe project, which focuses on a subset of extended-reality technologies, namely virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D scanning, and 3D printing. The project involves 11 institutions and is intended to identify innovative ways these 3D technologies are used, how they are impacting learning, and what lessons can be extrapolated for future use.…Read More


H.B. 2126: Providing Protection to Nursing Home Facilities from COVID-19-related Claims
On April 9, 2021, Governor Kelly signed H.B. 2126 into law, which provides immunity to nursing home facilities from certain COVID-19-related claims. This is a long-awaited win for nursing home facilities, which were initially excluded from such immunity when it was provided to other healthcare providers in June 2020. By passing this bill, Kansas joins approximately a dozen other states that have adopted immunity for businesses to limit their exposure to COVID-19-related lawsuits.
This law retroactively protects “covered facilities” from civil liability for certain claims after March 12, 2020 until the conclusion of the pandemic, including adult care homes, community mental health centers, crisis intervention centers, community service providers, community developmental disability organizations, and CMS-approved PACE centers. Specifically, this protects against “COVID-19 claims,” which are defined in H.B. 2126 as any claim made by or on behalf of any person who has been exposed to COVID-19 for damages, losses, indemnification, contribution or other relief arising out of such exposure.
Covered facilities will receive immunity from legal claims related to COVID-19-related injuries or deaths, as long as the covered facilities substantially comply with public health directives applicable to the activity that gave rise to the claim. “Public health directives” includes both state statutes or rules and regulations and federal statutes or regulations from federal agencies, such as the CDC and OSHA. Notably, this law does not provide immunity in instances of gross negligence or willful, wanton or reckless conduct.
H.B. 2126 provides much-needed protection for nursing home facilities, who previously only received an “affirmative defense to liability” last summer. Leading up to the bill’s passing, many nursing home facility advocates voiced concern for threats to the very existence of the senior care system in Kansas due to COVID-19’s prevalence in nursing homes, the potential for numerous COVID-19-related lawsuits, and nursing home facilities’ inability to shoulder litigation expenses to defend against such lawsuits. One such advocate was Hinkle Law Firm’s Mark Maloney, who testified in favor of the bill in February and urged Legislators to enact these statutory protections to help facilities avoid costly litigation that could ultimately drive these facilities out of business.
Patient advocates, on the other hand, expressed concern that this law is overbroad and would remove nursing home accountability. The vast majority of Legislators voted in favor of the bill, however, and the bill will take effect after its publication in the Kansas register.


Big feelings are part of growing up, but when big feelings lead to challenging behaviors, or when emotions become overwhelming, it can be difficult to know where to turn. Beginning therapy is a big step, and together we can work on managing challenging behaviors, coping with difficult emotions, finding support systems, and processing past experiences. I work with children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 18 and their families. As a therapist, my approach is collaborative, strengths-based, and trauma-informed. I believe that many children learn best by doing, so I often incorporate play, art, games, and real-world practice into therapy. My main theoretical approach is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which looks at the interplay between our thoughts, feelings, and behavior, as well as the influence of our environment. However, in tailoring therapy to each individual client and family, I may also draw from systems theory, experiential approaches, dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), and narrative theory. I believe in strong communication between therapists, families, schools, medical providers, and other systems of care. I am certified in trauma-focus cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and believe strongly in being aware of and sensitive to individuals’ trauma histories. I greatly value diversity and am open to treating children, adolescents, and families from a wide variety of backgrounds. You can be sure I will respect your individual story.
My treatment specialties include:
Anxiety Depression Trauma/PTSD Neurodiverse conditions* School concerns Parenting skills LGBTQ+ youth
I am excited to meet you and get to work!
*Including ADHD and autism (I do not provide formal autism assessment and diagnosis or work with severe autism)


The recruitment process for any industry is not easy. The manufacturing industry, in particular, plays a vital role globally. Although manufacturing jobs are not considered the most luxurious jobs, they offer the highest job opportunities. Moreover, they do not require lots of experience or education. Manufacturing jobs are declining, and more are set to decrease by the coming year due to automation and other challenges faced in the manufacturing industry. The
manufacturing recruitment process, however, is not as easy. Below discussed are some of the guiding tips to help you in the hiring process. Problem-solving skill
Most manufacturing organizations are searching for individuals who can make rapid, in-the-moment choices to solve unanticipated challenges before they become major concerns. As a result, manufacturing firms Look for people that have a track record of fixing problems. Customers will have faith in your talents if they know they’re working with someone who can deal with issues as they emerge. Workers must also be able to think fast to keep up on the shop floor; looking for applicants with rapid decision-making abilities will assist in maintaining smooth, efficient operations throughout your facility.
Technical aptitude
Technology evolves swiftly in the manufacturing and industrial sectors. Things like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and 3D printing are becoming as common as machines and assembly lines in the industrial environment. Employees with the technological capabilities needed to flourish and adapt in this new, digital-driven world are critical to your organization’s success.
Check the attention to details
This is key in every industry and not just the manufacturing industry. However, in the manufacturing industry, attention to detail or a lack of it may significantly affect product quality. It’s even more crucial to look for detail-oriented, precise workers if new personnel will be handling heavy gear, as precision is paramount in these critical situations. Attention to detail will also aid in maintaining ideal production rates, reducing downtime, and increasing overall productivity. Attention to detail is vital for your products and maintaining maximum safety on the shop floor.
Flexibility
Newly recruited manufacturing experts should be willing to be cross-trained in various disciplines; this demonstrates a dedication to continuous development and a willingness to learn more. A worker’s value increases when they can do additional job duties. Continuous innovation and development are essential to staying ahead of the competition, and this begins with your staff.
Manufacturing skills and experience
When hiring potential manufacturing employees, ensure you factor in their skills and experience. Examine their résumé to see how many years of experience they have. The firms they have previously worked for and their responsibilities in the firm. It’s also a good idea to verify references with their past employment or a list of relevant connections.
Furthermore, check the accreditations. These credentials show a potential employer that the individual has completed the appropriate training and is committed to their field of employment. Depending on the function they will serve, this might range from a Quality Engineer certification to an American Society for Quality Certification.


EuroSea, among a number of other initiatives, has been contributing to the Global Ocean Data Analysis Project (GLODAP). GLODAP enables quantification of the ocean carbon sink, ocean acidification, and evaluation of ocean biogeochemical models. This is achieved by collecting ocean biogeochemical data from surface to bottom through the chemical analysis of water samples. Data for 12 core variables (salinity, oxygen, phosphate, nitrate, silicate, dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, CFC-11, CFC-12, CFC-113 and CCl4) are subjected to primary and secondary quality control to identify outliers and correct for measurement biases. GLODAP is publicly available, discoverable, and citeable.
New paper titled ‘A vision for FAIR ocean data products’, co-authored by EuroSea coordinator Toste Tanhua, has been released in Nature Communications. The paper highlights the importance of the high-quality physical and biogeochemical data collated in GLODAP for quantifying and monitoring the ocean carbon cycles and related biogeochemical Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs). This is key to deliver information for science and policy stakeholders (e.g. the IPCC and the Global Climate Observing System).
This paper has been informally known as the GLODAP Manifesto. Following the FAIR data principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) in GLODAP requires substantial upgrades to the existing data extraction system to benefit various users and their growing needs. Recognizing that GLODAP, just like SOCAT and other ocean data synthesis products, remains a largely unfunded, community effort, the paper calls for building and supporting a sustained infrastructure and associated resources to ensure that GLODAP continues to provide the global community with a unique service, the importance of which will only increase as we step up our climate mitigation and adaptation efforts.
The paper is available in open access – here; to be cited as follows: Tanhua, T., Lauvset, S.K., Lange, N. et al. A vision for FAIR ocean data products. Commun Earth Environ 2, 136 (2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-021-00209-4.


from RAND Research Topic: Health and Health Care at https://bit.ly/39x6XTP on March 31, 2021 at 04:41PM
Objective
Assess correlates of advance care planning (ACP) among midlife and older adults in the United States, with attention to informal planning (e.g., conversations) and formal planning (e.g., legal documentation such as a living will).
Methods
Data were collected from a nationally-representative U.S. sample of adults ages 55&endash;74.
Results
Informal ACP was positively associated with greater confidence, history of life-threatening illness, designation as health care decision maker for someone else, knowing at least one negative end-of-life (EOL) story in one’s personal network, a desire to ease surrogates’ decision making, and having a health care provider who had broached ACP. Formal ACP was positively associated with greater confidence, designation as a health care decision maker, having a provider who had broached ACP, and primarily receiving medical care from a doctor’s office, and marginally negatively associated with health worry.
Conclusions
There are relevant correlates of advance care planning at the individual, interpersonal, and health care levels, with implications for increasing uptake of ACP.
Practice Implications
A desire to mitigate proxies’ decision-making burden was a significant motivator for ACP conversations. Awareness of negative EOL experiences may also motivate these conversations. Health care providers have a powerful role in formal and informal ACP uptake.
This report is part of the RAND Corporation external publication series. Many RAND studies are published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, as chapters in commercial books, or as documents published by other organizations.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.


This week, 50 ATS members and patient advocates traveled to Capitol Hill to advocate for key ATS legislative priorities. ATS and ATS Public Advisory Roundtable (PAR) members came from 26 states across the country, including Alabama, California, Hawaii, South Dakota, South Carolina and West Virginia, to meet with 80 House and Senate offices. ATS members met with key members of Congress such as Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN), as well as Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), chair of the House Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations subcommittee, which determines NIH funding.
“The ATS Hill Day is an exciting event for clinicians and researchers to partner with our patient groups and directly engage with our members of Congress to discuss ATS’s legislative priorities, including the need to increase NIH funding, support TB elimination, raise awareness of COPD and improve patient access to supplemental oxygen,” ATS President Polly Parsons, MD said. She continued, “Hill Day meetings are a unique experience that help us to understand how federal policy is made, establish relationships with our legislators, and advance respiratory health.”
Left to Right: Mario Perez, M.D., John Cox, M.D., ATS Secretary-Treasurer Lynn Schnapp, M.D., Anne Mainardi, M.D., Margaret Pisani, M.D., Stephen Baldassari, M.D., Alice Boylan, M.D.
Left to Right: Steve Kirtland, M.D., Gary Ewart, ATS President Polly Parsons, M.D., Virginia Spitzer, Erik Swenson, M.D.


The study titled, “Tobacco‐21 laws and young adult smoking: quasi‐experimental evidence,” was published in Addiction. The researchers compared the smoking rates of people aged 18, 20, 21 and 22, across U.S. communities where the legal age to smoke is 18, to areas where it has been raised to 21. The compiled data indicated that in areas where the age limit is 21, the 18 to 20 group was less likely to smoke (..)


Sample preparation Always perform moisture and protein testing on clean grain. Contaminated samples can skew results and reduce the lifespan of your testing equipment. Collect a representative sample of the lot of grain you are testing.
Proper sample collection is crucial for accurate testing and grading results. Refer to the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) website for instructions on how to take a representative sample.
Reduce the sample volume using an approved Boerner-type divider or the three-bucket method.
Perten moisture meters and protein analyzers require 700 grams of clean grain, while the volume of grain for 919 moisture meters is specific to each commodity.
Refer to the CGC website for information about reducing composite grain samples.
Clean the reduced the sample.
Follow the instructions available in the CGC’s Official Grain Grading Guide.


Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a high latitude pelagic organism which plays a central role in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. E. superba shows daily and seasonal rhythms in physiology and behaviour, which are synchronized with the environmental cycles of its habitat. Recently, the main components of the krill circadian machinery have been identified and characterized. However, the exact mechanisms through which the endogenous timing system operates the control and regulation of the overt rhythms remains only partially understood. Here we investigate the involvement of the circadian clock in the temporal orchestration of gene expression by using a newly developed version of a krill microarray platform. The analysis of transcriptome data from krill exposed to both light-dark cycles (LD 18:6) and constant darkness (DD), has led to the identification of 1,564 putative clock-controlled genes. A remarkably large proportion of such genes, including several clock components (clock, period, cry2, vrille, and slimb), show oscillatory expression patterns in DD, with a periodicity shorter than 24 hours. Energy-storage pathways appear to be regulated by the endogenous clock in accordance with their ecological relevance in daily energy managing and overwintering. Our results provide the first representation of the krill circadian transcriptome under laboratory, free-running conditions.


Abstract
Objective: To determine which cells derived from intrauterine tissues produce prorenin and renin and the potential mechanisms of regulation. Methods: Amnion, chorion, decidual and myometrial cells were derived from term pregnancies and grown to confluence. Incubations were conducted for 16 h in the presence and absence of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP, 1 mmol/l) or ionomycin (0.5 μmol/l). Prorenin and renin were measured directly in the culture media using a direct immunoradiometric assay. Results: Chorion (n = 6) and decidual (n = 6), but not amnion (n = 3) or myometrial (n = 4) cells produced measurable quantities of prorenin and renin with prorenin (> 95%) being the major species. Ionomycin and dbcAMP, respectively, inhibited and stimulated combined prorenin and renin output from chorion (n = 4) and decidual (n = 4) cells. Conclusions: Chorion and decidua are major intrauterine sources of prorenin and renin. The functions of prorenin and renin within the uterus remain uncertain but their ability to stimulate prostaglandin production suggests a potential role in the mechanisms of parturition.
Original language English (US) Pages (from-to) 151-154 Number of pages 4 Journal Prenatal and Neonatal Medicine Volume 1 Issue number 2 State Published - 1996 Externally published Yes Keywords Chorion Decidua Prorenin Renin ASJC Scopus subject areas Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health


Journal of substance abuse treatment2021; 122: 108211 Abstract
BACKGROUND: Co-occurrence of tobacco use and heavy episodic drinking (HED; 5+ drinks for men and 4+ drinks for women per occasion) is common among young adults; both warrant attention and intervention. In a two-group randomized pilot trial, we investigated whether a Facebook-based smoking cessation intervention addressing both alcohol and tobacco use would increase smoking abstinence and reduce HED compared to a similar intervention addressing only tobacco.METHODS: Participants were 179 young adults (age 18-25; 49.7% male; 80.4% non-Hispanic white) recruited from Facebook and Instagram who reported smoking 4+ days/week and past-month HED. The Smoking Tobacco and Drinking (STAND) intervention (N=84) and the Tobacco Status Project (TSP), a tobacco-only intervention (N=95), both included daily Facebook posts for 90days and weekly live counseling sessions in private "secret" groups. We verified self-reported 7-day smoking abstinence via remote salivary cotinine tests at 3, 6, and 12months (with retention at 83%, 66%, and 84%, respectively). Participants self-reported alcohol use.RESULTS: At baseline, the participants averaged 10.4 cigarettes per day (SD=6.9) and 8.9 HED occasions in the past month (SD=8.1), with 27.4% in a preparation stage of change for quitting smoking cigarettes. Participants reported significant improvements in cigarette smoking and alcohol use outcomes over time, with no significant differences by condition. At 12months, intent-to-treat smoking abstinence rates were 3.5% in STAND vs. 0% in TSP (biochemically verified) and 29.4% in STAND vs. 25.5% in TSP (self-reported). Compared to TSP, participants rated the STAND intervention more favorably for supporting health and providing useful information.CONCLUSIONS: Adding an alcohol treatment component to a tobacco cessation social media intervention was acceptable and engaging but did not result in significant differences by treatment condition in smoking or alcohol use outcomes. Participants in both conditions reported smoking and drinking less over time, suggesting covariation in behavioral changes.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jsat.2020.108211
View details for PubMedID 33509414


Automatic solid phase oligonucleotide synthesis features simple operation, efficiency, and reproducibility. Almost all commercially available automated synthesis instruments are designed to support the phosphoramidite method for the chemical synthesis of nucleic acids. During this chemical synthesis, a phosphoramidite is coupled through its reactive 3′-phosphorous group to the 5′-hydroxyl group of a nucleoside immobilized on a solid phase. Completion of a single synthetic cycle results in the addition of one nucleotide residue to the growing chain. Each addition cycle consists of four chemical reactions including detritylation (or called deblocking), coupling, capping, and oxidation.
In the detritylation step, the dimethoxytrityl (DMT or “trityl”) protecting group at the 5′-terminus is removed by adding an acid solution to release a free 5′-hydroxyl group on the oligonucleotide precursor. Following the detritylation, the resulting nucleoside reacts with the incoming nucleoside phosphoramidite monomer via a coupling activator. Despite many efficiency measures, a small percentage of the unreacted 5′-hydroxyl sites remain active after the completion of the coupling step. In the capping step, any unreacted active 5′ hydroxyl groups of nucleotides are capped by undergoing acetylation using acetic anhydride and N-methylimidazole (NMI) to prevent the groups from reacting with the later phosphoramidites. The phosphite triester linkage formed in the coupling step is unstable and must be transferred to a more stable phosphate triester linkage by treating the growing oligonucleotide chain with oxidation agents. By repeating the synthetic cycle, the chain grows to the desired oligonucleotide, which can be released from the solid support and deprotected with the ammonium hydroxide.
Amerigo Scientific offers high-quality ancillary reagents covering each step of the oligonucleotide synthesis cycle. From deblocking to oxidation, we ensure that our ancillary reagents are suitable for each synthesizer type. These products include drying traps, acetonitrile diluent and washings, deblock solutions, activators, oxidizers, sulfurizing reagents, capping reagents, and ancillary reagents for H-phosphonate chemistry.


ABOUT THE DISEASE
It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints. It occurs in joints on both sides of the body (such as both hands, wrists, and/or knees). This symmetric multiple joint involvement helps distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from other types of arthritis. It may affect other organs too.
CAUSES
The exact cause is unknown. It is an auto immune disorder, where the body’s immune system attacks its own healthy tissues.
SYMPTOMS Joint Pain & swelling - especially hand and feet. Stiffness that is worse in the morning. Fatigue. Loss of appetite. Low-grade fever. Firm lumps (rheumatoid nodules) that grow beneath the skin in areas such as the elbows and hands. DIAGNOSIS
- Medical history
- Physical examination - Rheumatoid factor test - Joint Ultrasound/X-ray - MRI - Anti CCP- antibody test - CBC - ESR - C Reactive protein TREATMENT METHODS
- Medications, eg.NSAIDs, Corticosteroids, COX2 inhibitors, DMARDs, Infliximab, etc.
- Rest and exercise. - Physical therapy/occupational therapy. - Surgery, eg. Synovectomy, Joint replacement
You may also like to learn about:
Arthritis
Osteoarthritis Ligament injury Juvenile Rheumatoid arthritis Knock knees Meniscal tear/injury


In many jurisdictions, a product liability plaintiff is not permitted to testify concerning what he or she would have done had there been an adequate warning on a product; such testimony is considered both self-serving and speculative. In the absence of such testimony, some states have adopted the Heeding Presumption.
This rebuttable presumption instructs the jury that had an adequate warning accompanied the product, they are to presume that plaintiff would have “heeded” or followed the warning. This presumption establishes causation by permitting the inference that an adequate warning would have altered plaintiff’s conduct.


The transformative power of AI in spatial data
Data is a key asset that decides the course of an organization’s digital transformation initiatives. Spatial data, in particular, is crucial in transformation initiatives across industries especially in logistics, utilities, and telecommunications. Against this context, this paper explores how the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning into the GIS domain is transforming data management, improving the consistency of data quality, and increasing the efficiency and simplicity of business operations.


Statewide focus groups document Wisconsin students’ struggles and how they are adapting
Wisconsin students have faced many challenges over the past year, and they have a lot to say about the nature of their struggles with learning, their mental health, overcoming obstacles, and building resilience, according to new findings of the Voices of Wisconsin Students Project released by the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service (WIPPS) Research Partners and the Medical College of Wisconsin – Central Wisconsin.
Students from across Wisconsin were given the opportunity to participate in virtual focus groups with other students from across the state, where they voiced key insights on how they are coping with the challenges of school, learning, and life in general during the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, 160 middle and high school students participated in one of 23 focus groups hosted by WIPPS Research Partners in January and February 2021. The student participants were from 68 different communities, spanning 38 Wisconsin counties and attend 96 different public, private, and parochial schools. Together with their peers, the students discussed a range of topics, including their experiences with school and their learning environments; levels of stress and anxiety; perceptions of drug and alcohol use; barriers to accessing mental health and wellness resources; new coping skills; and the support they need from school leaders moving forward.
The findings were compiled into separate reports for middle and high school students. Key findings from the high school student focus group report include the following:
Many of the students reported experiencing high, and increasing, levels of stress, anxiety, and in some cases, depression during the pandemic. For some, COVID-19 has exacerbated their existing mental health challenges. Many of the students perceive increases in the use of drugs, alcohol, and vaping products among their peers as ways to cope with stress, anxiety, boredom, and isolation during the pandemic. Many of the students described significant challenges with virtual learning environments; these challenges contribute to their stress and anxiety. The cancellation of sports, clubs, band, choir, performing arts, and other extracurricular activities is noted as a significant loss for many students. Overwhelmingly, they miss their friends and opportunities to socialize. Many expressed a lack of connectedness to their school, teachers, and friends. This was more pronounced for the students in virtual learning environments. The students identified their teachers as playing an especially important role in helping them feel more connected to their school and peers and a greater sense of belonging. Students’ expectations of teachers in terms of providing leadership, reassurance, and support may be even more pronounced during COVID-19, especially for virtual learners. The students generally struggled to identify school-based or other resources available to help them with mental health concerns; many expressed trying to cope on their own. The students identified stigma, skepticism, self-reliance, and concerns about confidentiality as barriers to accessing mental health and wellness resources. Despite significant challenges, students are finding the silver-linings, reasons to be positive, and many have developed a greater self-awareness. Students have developed new coping skills and ways to feel more resilient. They could point to many things they had learned about themselves during the pandemic that will help them be better students in the future.
The report’s findings will be shared with organizations, agencies, and community stakeholders across Wisconsin.
“Understanding the nature and scope of students’ immediate and ongoing needs is critical to ensuring that plans, programs, and strategies can be most effective and can be targeted in ways that can potentially have the greatest impact now and into the future,” said Sharon Belton, director of WIPPS Research Partners. “Hearing directly from students – in their own words – about their sources of stress and anxiety, how their learning environments are impacting them, and what kinds of resources they need is powerful and can help organizations make more informed decisions about how to support them.”
WIPPS Research Partners will host a Zoom presentation of the project findings on Wednesday, May 5, from 3:30-4:30 pm. To register for this presentation: https://zoom.us/webinar/
For more information about the project, visit WIPPS Research Partners at: https://wipps.org/research-
To access the reports directly, see the links to individual reports below:
The Voices of Wisconsin Students is a project conducted by WIPPS Research Partners and the Medical College of Wisconsin – Central Wisconsin. It was supported by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It was developed with input from many partners including representatives of the DHS, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health, and the University of Wisconsin – Extension.


Detection Range 25~1,000 ng/mL Sample Type Feces CV <10% Normal Range 0-50 ng/ml Reaction Time 10Min i-Chroma iFOB Neo Polyps Hemorrhoids Ulcers Colitis.
Blood in the stool may also be a sign of colorectal cancer.
The traditional FOB test uses the chemical Guaiac, which is sensitive to Hb peroxidase activity. However, the Guaiac-FOB test has low sensitivity to clinically significant colorectal neoplasis and has low specificity due to its non-specificity for human.
To overcome these potential challenges in immunochemical tests,
i- chroma ™ iFOB Neo uses specific monoclonal antibodies against human Hb. The patient is not forced to avoid food or medicine before the iFOB is tested. The i- chroma ™ iFOB Neo contains a stabilized extraction buffer tube which can be stored in room temperature.


DC Field Value Language dc.contributor.author Dae Hee Kim - dc.contributor.author Dong Gun Lee - dc.contributor.author Kil Lyong Kim - dc.contributor.author Young Hoon Lee - dc.date.accessioned 2017-04-19T08:58:42Z - dc.date.available 2017-04-19T08:58:42Z - dc.date.issued 2001 - dc.identifier.issn 0014-2956 - dc.identifier.uri 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2001.02364.x ko dc.identifier.uri https://oak.kribb.re.kr/handle/201005/5704 - dc.description.abstract Tenecin 3 is a glycine-rich, antifungal protein of 78 residues isolated from the insect Tenebrio molitor larva. As an initial step towards understanding the antifungal mechanism of tenecin 3, we examined how this protein interacts with the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans to exert its antifungal action. Tenecin 3 did not induce the release of a fluorescent dye trapped in the artificial membrane vesicles and it did not perturb the membrane potential of C. albicans by the initial interaction. Fluorescence confocal microscopy and flow cytometric analysis revealed that tenecin 3 is rapidly internalized into the cytoplasmic space in energy-dependent and temperature-dependent manners. This internalization is also dependent on the ionic environment and cellular metabolic states. These results suggest that the internalization of tenecin 3 into the cytoplasm of C. albicans is mediated by a fungal cellular process. The internalized tenecin 3 is dispersed in the cytoplasm, and the loss of cell viability occurs after this internalization. - dc.publisher Wiley - dc.title Internalization of tenecin 3 by a fungal cellular process is essential for its fungicidal effect on Candida albicans - dc.title.alternative Internalization of tenecin 3 by a fungal cellular process is essential for its fungicidal effect on Candida albicans - dc.type Article - dc.citation.title European Journal of Biochemistry - dc.citation.number 16 - dc.citation.endPage 4458 - dc.citation.startPage 4449 - dc.citation.volume 268 - dc.contributor.affiliatedAuthor Dong Gun Lee - dc.contributor.affiliatedAuthor Kil Lyong Kim - dc.contributor.alternativeName 김대희 - dc.contributor.alternativeName 이동건 - dc.contributor.alternativeName 김길룡 - dc.contributor.alternativeName 이영훈 - dc.identifier.bibliographicCitation European Journal of Biochemistry, vol. 268, no. 16, pp. 4449-4458 - dc.identifier.doi 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2001.02364.x - dc.subject.keyword Antifungal protein - dc.subject.keyword Fungus - dc.subject.keyword Insect - dc.subject.keyword Internalization - dc.subject.keyword Tenecin 3 - dc.subject.local Antifungal protein - dc.subject.local Fungus - dc.subject.local fungus - dc.subject.local insect - dc.subject.local insects - dc.subject.local Insect - dc.subject.local Internalization - dc.subject.local Tenecin 3 - dc.description.journalClass Y -
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China has demonstrated a growing openness to TDC and engaged with a number of traditional donors in trilateral projects ranging from agriculture to healthcare. However, there has been scant fieldworkbased TDC research and even less concentrating on China’s engagement, in particular. This paper seeks to fill this gap by focusing on one of China’s first trilateral projects with traditional donors in Africa its engagement with the United Kingdom (UK) on a cassava project in Uganda. Drawing on fieldwork conducted in 2016, this paper details key coordination challenges during the project implementation phase, and more importantly, critically examines two oftclaimed TDC ‘advantages’: its contribution to a more horizontal and equilateral development partnership and its role in providing recipient countries with more suitable technical assistance. The paper illustrates how the inclusion of a Southern donor like China, which mainly serves as a provider of technical assistance in this trilateral arrangement, does not necessarily lead to a more horizontal development partnership between the traditional donor (UK) and the recipient (Uganda). The similarities between the Southern donor and the recipient in terms of development capacities, challenges, and experiences do not naturally guarantee technology transfer success, which instead hinges on a deep and contextualized understanding of development differences, in this case, in the cassava sector between China and Uganda. This paper cautions against the tendency to assimilate shared identity and development experiences between the South—South TDC components.


Pride
Do you like solving riddles?
Years ago, a young boy challenged me with this riddle: “What can you swallow that can also swallow you?” Well the answer’s found in the Bible: PRIDE. Pride is a spiritual stronghold; a tool of the enemy to set itself up against the knowledge of God. Psalm 25:9 says that God promises to lead the humble in what is right, and to teach them his way. To protect ourselves from pride and bad financial decisions, we must seek humility and be grounded in Biblical truth. Pride causes us to overspend. This happens when we buy things to impress others or to maintain a certain social status. Proverbs 16:18 says,
“pride comes before a fall.” Godly stewards live and look differently from others. Pray about your purchasing habits. Are you honoring God or seeking to maintain your status?
Pride causes us to covet. Pride that takes root in the heart, finances, and relationships causes a competitive mindset. You constantly compare yourself to others. This breeds anxiety, discontentment and covetousness. Romans 12:3 says,
“do not think more highly of yourself than you ought.” Instead, think of yourself and others the way God does. Pride can prevent us from seeking help. Admitting you need support or guidance requires a lot of humility, but it’s a wise and humble step to take. James 4:10 reminds us that God uplifts the humble. Pride can lead to destruction. Swallow it lest it swallow you!
Now if you’ve been blessed with My MoneyLife, I invite you to discover the Crown Stewardship Podcasts. I host special guests and experts with the focus on helping you find freedom in your finances and career. You can subscribe on Spotify and iTunes, or listen at Crown.org.


Polymorphism, a phenomenon that enables molecules to exhibit multiple crystalline phases, is estimated to occur in up to 80% of molecules that display a pharmaceutical application, affecting primarily their solubility, which correlates with bioavailability in compounds that present poor aqueous solubility.(1) Therefore, the inadvertent occurrence of polymorphism during a pharmaceutical manufacturing process might have adverse effects on drug product properties. One parameter of utmost importance needed to understand and control polymorphism is the solubility of a compound in a particular solvent or solvent mixture. However, solubility measurements for polymorphic compounds are often accompanied by solvent-mediated phase transformations.
Generally, solubility measuring techniques are grouped into isothermal and polythermal methods. The former measures the solubility at preset temperatures for unspecified concentrations by adding an excess of solid, forming a slurry or suspension. However, the equilibration times often employed in isothermal methods (typically ≥24 h) might hamper the accurate determination of the solubility for metastable forms because of possible solvent-mediated phase transformations. This represents a major issue when reviewing existing solubility data as emphasized in a recent editorial published by the Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data.(2)
Here, the polythermal method that determines the temperatures at which solubility is attained for suspensions with known composition at specific heating rates might be better suited to determine the solubility of polymorphic compounds while circumventing solvent-mediated phase transformations. In particular, when commercially available equipment such as the
and Crystal 16
This webinar presented by Dr Torsten Stelzer and Dr Vilmali Lopez-Mejias from the University of Puerto Rico provided guidance to accurately measure and validate the solubility of polymorphic compounds from an undersaturated solution employing the polythermal method.
References
Hilfiker R. Polymorphism. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA; 2006.
Königsberger E. Editorial: Guidelines for the Measurement of Solid–Liquid Solubility Data at Atmospheric Pressure. J Chem Eng Data [Internet]. 2019 Feb 14;64(2):381–5. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jced.8b01263
Vázquez Marrero VR, Piñero Berríos C, De Dios Rodríguez L, Stelzer T, López-Mejías V. In the Context of Polymorphism: Accurate Measurement, and Validation of Solubility Data. Cryst Growth Des [Internet]. 2019 Jul 3;19(7):4101–8. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.9b00529


The molecular mechanism underlying brain regeneration in vertebrates remains elusive. A team led by researchers at BGI performed spatial enhanced resolution omics sequencing (Stereo-seq) to capture spatially resolved single-cell transcriptomes of axolotl telencephalon sections during development and regeneration. Annotated cell types exhibited distinct spatial distribution, molecular features, and functions. The researchers identified an injury-induced ependymoglial cell cluster at the wound site as a progenitor cell population for the potential replenishment of lost neurons, through a cell state transition process resembling neurogenesis during development. Transcriptome comparisons indicated that these induced cells may originate from local resident ependymoglial cells. The researchers further uncovered spatially defined neurons at the lesion site that may regress to an immature neuron–like state. This work establishes spatial transcriptome profiles of an anamniote tetrapod brain and decodes potential neurogenesis from ependymoglial cells for development and regeneration, thus providing mechanistic insights into vertebrate brain regeneration.
Development and regeneration of axolotl telencephalon The spatially resolved single-cell transcriptome of the adult axolotl telencephalon as determined by Stereo-seq analyses (left). Upon brain injury in the highlighted lateral pallium region of the left hemisphere, a neural progenitor subpopulation at the wound site was rapidly induced and subsequently replenished lost neurons (bottom right) through a process that partially resembles neurogenesis during development (top right). Single-cell Stereo-seq reveals induced progenitor cells involved in axolotl brain regeneration. Science377(6610):eabp9444. [abstract]


SP 3 - Try-IBD Quantitative flux analysis of tryptophan metabolism as a model predictor for metabolic crosstalk in the intestinal mucosa
During the last two decades, the importance of cell metabolism in the context of immunology has been increasingly appreciated. Similar to cancer cells, metabolic rewiring in activated immune cells is essential to meet the increasing biomass and energy demand (e.g. proliferation and tissue invasion). In this logic, targeting metabolic rewiring holds promise for precision medicine. Drugs directly targeting metabolism, are widely used in the clinic and demonstrate that therapeutic windows exist to target the cell’s proliferative capacities at the metabolic level. However, the severe side effects of these established drugs complicate therapy. The identification of more specific metabolic bottlenecks in a given cell type could aid the design of more effective treatments with fewer side effects. Indeed, different metabolic enzymes and transporters are currently undergoing clinical trials.
Evidenced by decreased tryptophan plasma concentrations in IBD and given by the fact that tryptophan is an essential amino acid (thus cannot be synthesised by humans), it is hypothesized that the rate of tryptophan metabolism increases during inflammation and that IDO1, a key enzyme of the kynurenine pathway, is associated with increased tryptophan turnover. However, a direct biochemical proof of these correlations and an understanding of the tissues and cell types involved is lacking until now. Therefore, the aim of this sub-project is (i) to decipher at the cellular level, how tryptophan is metabolised (kynurenine, indole, serotonin pathway) and which intermediates confer important functions during immune response; (ii) to elucidate at a systemic level which cell types are predominantly involved in tryptophan depletion under IBD conditions. During the last decades, 13C-assisted metabolic flux analysis emerged as a powerful tool to study the rate and fate of a given metabolite in complex biological systems. Hence, we will employ this tool to study tryptophan metabolism in the context of IBD using both in vitro systems and respective mouse in vivo models.


As the internet has developed, communication via emojis has been on the rise. Using emojis to express ourselves has given communication methods a personal and convenient way to converse but tends to also have its drawbacks.Using a happy face emoji 🙂 or sad face emoji 🙁 for example, helps make conveying a message personal and graphically allows people to convey a message without the need for using words.
On one hand, emojis can improve our communication because they are universally understood. A happy face is tied to a positive feeling regardless of culture or language. The same idea goes for a sad or angry emoji. They can also help reinforce a message by reducing ambiguity. These non-verbal cues can help people understand a person’s intent during a conversation. For example, it’s sometimes easy to misread the intentions behind someone’s message, but if they follow it with a certain emoji, it may help the receiver understand the emotion being conveyed through the message.
Contrarily, the use of emojis in communication can still lead to misunderstandings and result in a message being lost. For example, although a happy face emoji is universally understood as representing a positive message, what one person associates with a happy face emoji might not be the same message another person associates with it. A winking emoji to one person might mean a simple “just kidding” while another person might take it as flirtation.
Emojis also have a “negative” impact on our communication model due to the fact that they eliminate verbal communication and intonation which are sometimes essential parts of properly conveying a message. Emotions are sometimes lost in text messaging and while selecting the angry faced emoji might help a person understand that you are upset with a message, does the person receiving the message
truly understand the full range of your emotions and why you are angry? Emojis can make the expression of a message quicker but their use can be restricting and eliminate the need for writing or speaking to express ourselves.
Emoji’s are absolutely changing our communication model. Whether they hurt or help communication is up for interpretation. While emojis are most definitely a new and useful way of communicating a message, they can also have their drawbacks on enhancing effective communication.


Click for abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite that is capable of causing a zoonotic disease, known as toxoplasmosis. Vertical transmission of T. gondii from the mother to the fetus, during pregnancy may cause severe complications to the developing fetus. This current study aimed to determine the seroprevalence and investigate the associated risk factors of Toxoplasma infection in pregnant women (n=219) visiting the antenatal clinic at UMMC. While the elevated level of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies indicates the presence of infection, it fails to differentiate between a past and a recent infection. Thus, the study also demonstrates the usefulness of IgG avidity in validating the timing of infection. The serum samples were tested for the presence of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies by ELISA test, and the seropositive samples for both anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies were further evaluated by IgG avidity. The results showed that the overall prevalence of T. gondii seropositivity was 34.7%. Of these, 30.6% (67/219) were positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgG antibody only, 2.3% (5/219) were positive for anti-Toxoplasma IgM only, and the remaining 1.8% (4/219) was positive for both anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibodies. All of the pregnant women who were positive for both anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM antibody were found to have past infection when evaluated by IgG avidity. In this study, Malay ethnicity and the number of existing previous children were significantly associated with T. gondii seropositivity (p<0.05). Based on these findings, information and education on the transmission and prevention of congenital toxoplasmosis are very crucial as a public health effort towards a healthier society.


The Shanghai-based China Passenger Car Association reported that sales of passenger cars fell 10.3% in January from the month before to 965,238 units.
However, on an annual basis, sales rose 12.6%.
While Chinese bought 13.7 million passenger vehicles last year, up by a third from 2009, that sort of increase is not forecast this year, China Car Times reports.
This is due, in part, to the expiration of tax incentives for some vehicle purchases, and also to a renewed effort by cities to bring traffic under control.
A report from the Passenger Car Association said sales in February are bound to decline due to the usual slump following the Lunar New Year holiday.
Rao Da, head of the association, criticized the current policy, which he said, was “encouraging car purchases while restricting car use.”


N-acetyl cysteine is a more stable form of the sulfur amino acid L-cysteine and is a powerful cysteine and glutathione precursor.
Features of Source Naturals N-Acetyl Cysteine NAC
Glutathione is a major antioxidant as the cofactor for glutathione peroxidase, one of the most important antioxidant enzymes in the body, particularly in the liver.
Additionally, a meta-analysis of human clinical trials has reported that N-acetyl cysteine supplementation supports respiratory health.
Do not use if you are taking any form of prescription nitrate such as nitroglycerin. If you are pregnant, may become pregnant, or breastfeeding, consult your health care professional before using this product.
Do not use if either tamper-evident seal is broken or missing. Keep out of the reach of children. Keep tightly closed in a cool, dry place. contains no yeast, dairy, egg, gluten, corn, soy, or wheat. Contains no sugar, starch, salt, preservatives, artificial color, flavor, or fragrance.


Water Body Monitoring Using Artificial Intelligence Through Remote Sensing – A EOfactory Initiative
Just three decades back, many cities in India had vast water bodies. Due to rapid urbanization, hundreds of lakes/ponds/streams have vanished from the map creating water scarcity and rising temperatures. The already groundwater level has dropped below 1,000 ft. Tanker business occurs when people need to buy water due to water scarcity.
This business usually starts during April and May, the summer period in India. However, recently, due to water scarcity, the tanker business started as early as December. We need to maintain the existing water bodies, at least if not create more. Skymap Global has created a dashboard that can monitor water bodies/green cover without human interference. It is made possible by the introduction of AI and ML in Remote Sensing. Any time and location-based analytics can be done in a matter of seconds over a large area with 100% accuracy. A must-have tool for every metropolitan city.


The global plastics market is expanding due to increasing consumption in the construction, consumables, automotive, electronics, and medical device industries. This industry is adapting to a variety of needs from the current market including the expanding use of plastic in high growth industries, increased focus from consumers on biodegradable plastic, and how the fluctuation cost of oil and natural gas affects future production costs.
The global market for rubber is split between natural and synthetic rubber products. Catheters, medical gloves, tires and 50,000 other projects are made from the more than 15 million tons of natural rubber produced globally each year. However, according to the International Tripartite Rubber Council, there will be a global shortage of 1 million tons of natural rubber this year, due to blight and diseases killing rubber trees in growing regions across the planet.
The rising demand for synthetic rubber is the major driving factor for market growth. The health hazards involve in producing synthetic rubber and increased environmental regulations are the factors which are concerns of the synthetic rubber manufacturers.
As the plastics and rubber industries adapt to the future, producers and vendors must look for ways to gain a competitive advantage, while reducing costs and making their processes eco-friendlier.
To remain competitive, plastics and rubber manufacturers must increase productivity and improve quality to meet customer’s specifications while reducing unit costs. Investing in digital transformation allows businesses to gain better control of processes to ensure clearer analytical insights to improve decision making processes for production. To achieve these goals, manufacturers must obtain end-to-end visibility of their processes.


The following meditation is from Doug Hood\’s book,
Nurture Faith: Five Minute Meditations to Strengthen Your Walk with Christ. “Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me.”
Revelation 3:20 (Common English Bible)
There comes the moment for each of us when we can no longer deny our inner darkness and weakness, our deficiency against the common struggles of daily life and we become weary. Exhausted, we surrender our grasping to be in control, to be strong and without need for anyone, and we seek something else – a union with some strength and purpose beyond ourselves. This verse from Revelation comes to us at such moments. Here we are told that Jesus stands at the door and is ready to come in, if we allow it, and to take possession of our lives, to recreate our inner life and fill it with light and strength. As we stop grasping and are, rather, grasped by Jesus, we are gradually lifted by him, in spite of ourselves, and, from degree to degree, changed into the likeness of Christ.
For this to proceed in our own life we must first recognize the knock of Jesus. How is that done? It may not be immediately recognizable. It may only be a vague sense of dissatisfaction with the movement of your life; a growing discomfort with the hopes, desires and ambitions that have fueled your daily decisions. Perhaps the knock is found in protest, deep in your heart, about what others are saying to you about this, or that, or another person, and you sense that all of it is wrong. Something stirs within you for another conversation, one that is nobler, more loving, and lovelier. It may even be the Christ-like manner you witness in another and find that you desire to share in that behavior. The knock may simply be an impulse, a nudge, a longing of the heart.
But to recognize the knock is insufficient. It is inconceivable that anyone would hear a knock on the front door of their home and simply ignore it. To ignore an unsettled heart is just as inconceivable. A knock demands to be answered, the door opened. What stands on the other side may be refused but it must be acknowledged. For a disciple, the door is opened and Christ is admitted at once. There should be no postponement. A postponement weakens the spirit and may result in missing Christ altogether, Christ possibly never returning again. To welcome Christ is to learn of him, to listen deeply to what he teaches and then to obey all that we understand of him. It is to acknowledge that life without Christ was failing us and to utterly reject any notion of negotiating with what Christ demands.
What remains is a promise. The person, who hears the knock, opens the door and admits Christ into the inner place of their life discovers a deep and abiding communion with him, “and (I) will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me.” This is a relationship with Christ that moves way beyond simple obedience. It is the richest and most intimate of relationships; a relationship where one heart deeply shapes the heart of another and two are like one. Christ becomes more than a savior. Christ becomes one who makes us a better person and shares the journey of life as a contemporary, providing life with a peace and joy and adequacy that is simply unavailable without him.
Joy,


Abstract
Background: Natural language processing (NLP) methods are powerful tools for extracting and analyzing critical information from free-text data. MedTaggerIE, an open-source NLP pipeline for information extraction based on text patterns, has been widely used in the annotation of clinical notes. A rule-based system, MedTagger-total hip arthroplasty (THA), developed based on MedTaggerIE, was previously shown to correctly identify the surgical approach, fixation, and bearing surface from the THA operative notes at Mayo Clinic. Objective: This study aimed to assess the implementability, usability, and portability of MedTagger-THA at two external institutions, Michigan Medicine and the University of Iowa, and provide lessons learned for best practices. Methods: We conducted iterative test-apply-refinement processes with three involved sites—the development site (Mayo Clinic) and two deployment sites (Michigan Medicine and the University of Iowa). Mayo Clinic was the primary NLP development site, with the THA registry as the gold standard. The activities at the two deployment sites included the extraction of the operative notes, gold standard development (Michigan: registry data; Iowa: manual chart review), the refinement of NLP algorithms on training data, and the evaluation of test data. Error analyses were conducted to understand language variations across sites. To further assess the model specificity for approach and fixation, we applied the refined MedTagger-THA to arthroscopic hip procedures and periacetabular osteotomy cases, as neither of these operative notes should contain any approach or fixation keywords. Results: MedTagger-THA algorithms were implemented and refined independently for both sites. At Michigan, the study comprised THA-related notes for 2569 patient-date pairs. Before model refinement, MedTagger-THA algorithms demonstrated excellent accuracy for approach (96.6%, 95% CI 94.6%-97.9%) and fixation (95.7%, 95% CI 92.4%-97.6%). These results were comparable with internal accuracy at the development site (99.2% for approach and 90.7% for fixation). Model refinement improved accuracies slightly for both approach (99%, 95% CI 97.6%-99.6%) and fixation (98%, 95% CI 95.3%-99.3%). The specificity of approach identification was 88.9% for arthroscopy cases, and the specificity of fixation identification was 100% for both periacetabular osteotomy and arthroscopy cases. At the Iowa site, the study comprised an overall data set of 100 operative notes (50 training notes and 50 test notes). MedTagger-THA algorithms achieved moderate-high performance on the training data. After model refinement, the model achieved high performance for approach (100%, 95% CI 91.3%-100%), fixation (98%, 95% CI 88.3%-100%), and bearing surface (92%, 95% CI 80.5%-97.3%). Conclusions: High performance across centers was achieved for the MedTagger-THA algorithms, demonstrating that they were sufficiently implementable, usable, and portable to different deployment sites. This study provided important lessons learned during the model deployment and validation processes, and it can serve as a reference for transferring rule-based electronic health record models.
Keywords information extraction model transferability natural language processing total hip arthroplasty ASJC Scopus subject areas Health Informatics Health Information Management


Dan Black, global recruiting leader at Ernst & Young (EY), aims to hire 200-300 MBA graduates globally before July 2021. Despite the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, Dan’s goal is to keep MBA hiring levels consistent with the last recruitment cycle.
While COVID-19 has changed the hiring process at many global firms, it’s not impacting the value employers place in MBA graduates. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, hiring of MBA talent is expected to rebound in 2021, with MBAs in consulting and finance earning average projected salaries of between $115 to $145k.
EY hired over 80,000 people in the last financial year (July 1,
BusinessBecause caught up with Dan to find out more about applying for MBA jobs at EY during COVID-19.
COVID-19 Impact on EY Recruitment
EY recruits on-campus at most top-ranked business schools, although is increasingly accepting candidates from MBA or master’s programs at lesser-known schools too. Business school students generally receive offers from EY between nine and 15 months in advance of joining the firm.
The main impact of COVID-19 is that EY has not yet confirmed its hiring plans for 2020-21. While plans are generally in place by September each year, with coronavirus and the upcoming US presidential election, 2020-21 recruitment targets have not yet been finalized.
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Charlotte Dawes Associate
Virtual witnessing of Wills: can the Wills Act 1837 advance in line with modern technology?
Understandably, during the Covid-19 pandemic there has been an increased demand of people seeking to make Wills. Currently, Section 9 of the Wills Act 1837 (“the Wills Act”) states that Wills are only valid if;
It is in writing and signed by the testator (a person who has made a Will) or by some other person in their presence and by their direction; It appears that the testator intended by their signature to give effect to the Will; The signature is made or acknowledged by the testator in the presence of two or more witnesses present at the same time;and Each witness either attests and signs the Will or acknowledges their signature in the presence of the testator (but not necessarily in the presence of any other witness), but no form of testation shall be necessary.
However, whilst social distancing, isolation and shielding are practised, the physical presence of witnesses is currently neither practical nor feasible.
As a result, the Ministry of Justice have announced that the 183-year-old legislation will be temporarily amended to relax the rules for the formal requirements of the execution of Wills. The changes are due to take effect from September 2020 for an initial period of two years, until January 2022. However, these changes will be backdated to 31 January 2020; the date of the first registered case of COVID-19 in England and Wales, albeit before the UK imposed lockdown measures in March 2020.
What are the changes?
The temporary amendments to the Wills Act provide a shift in the meaning of the word “presence” when witnessing a Will. Until now, the physical presence of a witness has been deemed essential.
The amendments allow for witnesses to be “present” via video, therefore avoiding the requirement for people to physically meet.
Ministry of Justice guidance sets out a four-stage process to follow when witnessing Wills remotely as follows (summarised for brevity);
The testator shall ensure their witnesses can see them and the Will; by holding up the front of the Will and turning to the page they will be signing. The testator must ensure that the witnesses can see them signing their Will i.e. that they can see them physically sign, not just their head and shoulders. The witnesses should confirm they can see, hear and acknowledge and understand their role in witnessing the signing of the legal document. If the witnesses cannot be present with one another, they must be present at the same time via video-link. The Will should then be taken to the witnesses for them to sign, ideally within 24 hours. It must be the same document. Upon receipt of the Will, a further video call must take place, during which the witnesses must show the testator the Will and then sign themselves. It may be necessary to undertake this step twice if the witnesses are not physically together.
It is recommended that this process is recorded as evidence that the formalities have been adhered to and to be called upon in the future should a dispute arise as to the validity of a Will.
What are the potential issues with these changes?
Whilst a new way of preparing and executing Wills provides the opportunity for people to formalise their Wills during the pandemic, there are several pitfalls that may present themselves as a result of this change.
Timeframes -Given that a Will is not valid until it has been witnessed, there is potential for an individual to pass away between signing their Will and it reaching their witnesses for signature. Witnesses will need to ensure they are prompt in obtaining the Will (ideally within 24 hours as per the Ministry of Justice guidance) to minimise a scenario whereby a testator dies before they have had opportunity to sign the Will. There is also a risk that if this scenario were to occur, that the beneficiaries under the uncompleted Will would have a claim against the witnesses if their delay was the reason why the Will was not valid. Technology -Whilst technology has advanced tremendously, there are still times where it fails us, and video conferencing software is prone to freezing and losing connection. As it is imperative that the witnesses can clearly see the testator signing their Will, recording the witnessing will confirm that the witnesses did in fact see the testator sign their Will clearly, to avoid this being raised as an issue in the future. Have any other risks been considered?
As outlined in my previous article
“Steps to minimise your estate being subject of a dispute”, it is widely reported that in recent years the number of contested Estates and Wills has unfortunately increased, and anecdotal evidence suggests that a Will which was witnessed remotely is more likely to be the subject of challenge than that of a Will executed by traditional methods. Grounds of dispute including testamentary capacity, undue influence and lack of want and knowledge and approval are all at risk of being heightened in the current climate. Thus, it is imperative that the risk of challenge is minimised by complying rigidly with the formalities and guidance if video conferencing is utilised to witness a Will.
In summary, given the risks involved, witnessing a Will virtually should be used as a last resort, and where possible, the longstanding formalities of the Wills Act should be adhered to.
For more information and advice on these changes, please email Charlotte Dawes.


Reconstructing the observation process to correct for changing detection probability of a critically endangered species
Effective conservation decision-making requires robust estimates of population trends. It is often assumed that, as long as monitoring methods remain consistent over time, trends in relative abundance are valid proxies for actual abundance. However, if the bias and uncertainty of relative abundance estimates change over time, this can have a serious impact on the validity of monitoring programmes. We developed a simple model for the retrospective assessment of the likely error and bias in abundance estimates from aerial surveys of the saiga antelope.
Due to dramatic reductions in group size and density, current estimates of abundance are probably substantially lower than the true population size, and the level of uncertainty surrounding these estimates precludes their use for monitoring trends. This has implications for the Government of Kazakhstan's ability to monitor progress towards their agreed conservation goals. The method is potentially widely applicable to species for which historical data on relative abundance and group size are available.


Have you experienced a loss of a loved one and been unable to adjust to it? Have you experienced a recent unanticipated change in your family, job or social relationships? Has a relationship changed or ended leaving an absence that you’re finding difficult to accept? Have you experienced a difficult or traumatic event that overwhelms your functioning? Are you experiencing overwhelming physical and emotional symptoms that are triggered by random or specific events? Do you struggle with chronic physical conditions that impact the quality of your life?


Although both common choices for flooring, hardwood, and tile, are only suitable for some homes, for starters, many homeowners need to pay a significant upfront cost or want to. Additionally, they need specialized maintenance, and some hardwoods are not ideal for humid regions. Fortunately, there’s a quick and affordable solution for homeowners to achieve the look: a vinyl floor.
In Hilo, Hawaii, many showrooms sell vinyl flooring. These surfaces have high-resolution pictures and embossed or textured surfaces specifically created to simulate the appearance of wood and stone. With close inspection, many individuals can distinguish between vinyl and hardwood or tile. Visit Hilo shops right away to view the vinyl collection in person and learn about the limitless customization options.
Every Style Has a Luxury Vinyl Surface
Showrooms of
vinyl flooring in Hilo, HI, feature every design imaginable. Do you adore beautiful, classic style? Do you enjoy bold, contemporary design trends? Whatever the situation, their staff assists you in selecting the perfect luxury vinyl tile or plank floor.
Thanks to modern manufacturing breakthroughs, vinyl is available in various patterns, textures, and designs. Choose a vinyl tile from a wide variety that best matches the requirements of your restoration or building project. Visit Hilo’s vinyl showrooms. Your design objectives, performance expectations, and budget are all considered.
The benefits of vinyl flooring
One of the most flexible options is vinyl, which can mimic the look of expensive flooring at a relatively modest price. To keep vinyl flooring clean and maintain its attractiveness, they need to be swept sometimes.
Vinyl Flooring Installation with Full Service
When you rely on vinyl flooring installation, bring your stunning new floor to life. Since experience enables a mistake-free installation, hiring our skilled installers to handle your project is generally less expensive than even doing it yourself. Experts can quickly complete their tasks in any room of your house without interfering with your family’s daily routine. With a lifetime installation guarantee, they ensure your complete happiness throughout the entire process. If there are any installation-related problems, specialists will return immediately to fix them at no additional cost.